Question

a willow tree casts a shadow that is 15 feet long. a stucco column near the willow tree casts a shadow that is 30 feet long. if the willow tree is 8 feet tall, how tall is the stucco column? write your answer as a whole number or a decimal. do not round. feet

Explanation:

Step1: Set up the proportion

Since the ratio of height to shadow length is the same for both objects, we have $\frac{\text{height of tree}}{\text{shadow of tree}}=\frac{\text{height of column}}{\text{shadow of column}}$. Let $h$ be the height of the column. So, $\frac{8}{15}=\frac{h}{30}$.

Step2: Solve the proportion for $h$

Cross - multiply: $15h = 8\times30$. Then $15h=240$. Divide both sides by 15: $h=\frac{240}{15}$.

Answer:

16